Shanghai hosted an embodied intelligence industry conference and a humanoid robotics skills competition on Thursday, as multiple Chinese cities step up efforts to support the burgeoning sector, now a key focus of the nation’s hi-tech ambitions.
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The Embodied Intelligence Developer Conference, held in Zhangjiang, Shanghai’s hi-tech zone, included forums, corporate exhibits and a “skills” contest featuring humanoid robots. University students competed using robots provided by the organisers in various tasks, from soccer matches to practical applications in industrial, household and commercial scenarios.
“We will double down on our support in technology commercialisation, real-world scenario applications, and market promotion, along with increased government procurement,” Wu Jincheng, deputy secretary general of the Shanghai municipal government and Pudong district chief, said at Thursday morning’s opening ceremony.
“Our robots must be able to listen, understand, and perform tasks, empowering industries and entering millions of households.”
Wu stressed the city’s commitment to policy support, including funding, open-source data for embodied intelligence, industry cluster advantages, start-up spaces, and housing incentives for talent.
At a media briefing on Wednesday, general manager of Zhangjiang Group Chen Weiwei said that Shanghai accounted for a third of China’s robotics industry, while Pudong district represented one-third of Shanghai’s robotics companies, or more than 100 such firms. Chen highlighted the Zhangjiang Robot Valley project, launched in 2020, which covers an area of 4.2 square kilometres.
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Shanghai is home to several rising-star robotics makers, including Agibot, Fourier, Kepler Robotics, DroidUp, as well as the National and Local Humanoid Robotics Innovation Centre, jointly backed by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Shanghai government. In April, Shanghai State-owned Capital Investment and Pudong district launched a dedicated embodied intelligence fund targeting a total amount of 1 billion yuan (US$138.9 million).